Speech a final moment in spotlight

Monday

Jan 28, 2008 at 12:01 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) - It’s about the economy, the war in Iraq and other unresolved matters that have kept the nation on edge. But President George W. Bush’s State of the Union address today is something else, too: probably his last chance to seize the public’s attention and put it to use.

In the speech at 8 p.m. Missouri time tonight, Bush will pressure Congress - particularly the Senate, where he senses trouble - to finish an economic stimulus package fast. The president will talk of improved security in Iraq and reassert that he - and only he - decides when U.S. troops will come home. He will offer some modest new ideas and recycle others as unfinished business.

In one new announcement, Bush will try to reduce the use of earmarks, a common Capitol Hill practice of slipping pet projects into spending bills. He will pledge to veto any spending bill that does not cut earmarks in half from levels spelled out in the current budget.

Bush also plans to sign an executive order tomorrow directing agencies to ignore any future earmarks that are not actually written into law, but rather tucked into obscure "report" language. The White House said the move will force Congress to make its spending more transparent.

However, that plans leaves untouched the more than 11,700 earmarks totaling $16.9 billion that Congress approved last year.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said Bush decided to restrict earmarks going forward - not backward - because Congress first deserved "a very clear indication of what he was going to do."

The final State of the Union of the Bush presidency will be roughly split between domestic and foreign matters. Expect few surprises and no big initiatives. To the degree the speech favors the pragmatic over the bold, the White House offers a two-word explanation: Blame Congress.

Bush’s efforts to overhaul Social Security and immigration died on Capitol Hill, but not just because of Democratic opposition. He also ran into walls put up by members of his own party. Heading into the speech, Perino said it is unrealistic to expect Congress to take on big problems.

The White House strategy now is to go after what’s left of that elusive common ground; Bush has 12 months remaining and an even shorter window for legislation this election year. So he will push Congress to pass some short-term economic aid and make permanent his first-term tax cuts, which are due to expire in 2010.

He also will call for housing reform, better health care and veterans’ care, alternative energy development and renewal of the No Child Left Behind education law.

The domestic section of Bush’s speech will also remind the nation of his ideas on climate change, faith-based programs and stem cell research. When he pivots to foreign matters, Bush will emphasize progress in Iraq and repeat that troop withdrawals will happen when they won’t undermine Iraq’s success.

He also will comment on Iran, Middle East peace, the spread of democracy and the U.S.-led fight against disease and hunger in poorer nations.

Bush also does not plan to turn the speech into a retrospective look at his time in office.

"I can understand how many people, especially those that cover the president in the press, could see that the president would approach this as his legacy speech," Perino said. "But no, not at all. This is a very forward-looking speech."

A pervasive current of the address will be trusting and empowering Americans. It is a theme Bush has wanted to emphasize in a speech for months.

As long as he commands the military and retains veto power, Bush remains relevant. Yet his clout is slipping. That is the political reality given his approval ratings, which are near the worst of his presidency, and his outsider role in the campaign for the 2008 presidential nominations.

The top Democratic contenders, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, will be on hand.

A leading GOP candidate, Sen. John McCain, is staying in Florida.

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